ASHRAE

A proposal mandating commissioning for all buildings designed and built under ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2011, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will be open for public review until Nov. 18.

Currently, the standard requires a reduced level of commissioning effort, referred to as acceptance testing, for building areas of less than 5,000 sq ft, the assumption being their building systems are simple, Jeff Ross-Bain, a member of the Standard 189.1 committee, explained. Proposed Addendum p would remove the acceptance-testing provision for small buildings and mandate building commissioning per Section 10.3.1.2.

In other news, a proposed addendum adding an optional third compliance path to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will be open for public review until Nov. 26.

Under Addendum bm, a new building would comply by showing a performance improvement of at least 45 percent over a baseline design calculated in accordance with Appendix G. Additionally, Addendum bm would make the baseline consistent with the prescriptive requirements of Standard 90.1-2004.

The paths currently in the standard — the Energy Cost Budget Method and the Performance Rating Method — can lead to different modeling protocols for different functions, Michael Rosenberg, a member of the Standard 90.1 committee, explained. All require slightly different rules. A single project could require two or more baselines.

Lastly, ASHRAE/USGBC/ASPE/AWWA Standard 191P, Standard for the Efficient Use of Water in Building, Site and Mechanical Systems, a standard being developed by ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), and the American Water Works Association (AWWA), will be open for public comment until Dec. 10.

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